The general background of the invention is the fact that the theft of theft attractive property of the aforesaid kind is steadily increasing. The theft of bicycles represents the worst problem in most aspects, and the following description will therefore concentrate on just this problem. It will be understood, however, that the problem is fundamental to the theft of skiing equipment and golf equipment, and so on.
The bicycle has become an increasingly popular alternative mode of transportation in keeping with people's awareness of the need to protect the environment and also in keeping with the physical exercise that cycling affords. This has led to the sale of more bicycles and more well equipped bicycles at much higher prices than was earlier the case. Consequently, bicycles are often stolen with the purpose of selling the bicycles for cash either within the country where the theft took place or abroad. Persons who perpetrate such thefts are more or less organized bodies. In earlier times a bicycle was often stolen as a means of transportation, i.e. "borrowed" late at night on weekends in order to travel home from a public house, night club or some like establishment and were later recovered to a greater extent than at the present time, sometimes in a relatively undamaged state.
This change in the nature of bicycle thefts has resulted in greater demands on the security of bicycle locking devices, wherein present day bicycle locks shall not only prevent the immediate use of a bicycle but shall also prevent the bicycle from being carried away, or at least make it difficult to carry away. As beforementioned, present day bicycles are so expensive as to render the purchase of a bicycle of certain designs a large and noticeable investment to the purchaser and also to render the bicycle worthy of the best protection possible.
With regard to Swedish circumstances, an insured bicycle carries a self-risk against theft of at least SEK 1000 and in order to give time for the bicycle to be found and recovered there is a minimum waiting period of one month before the insured person is recompensed for his/her loss. The theft of a bicycle is therefore very burdensome to the owner, particularly when the owner is dependent daily on the bicycle, for instance to travel to and from his place of employment. In order to file a valid claim against bicycle insurance, it is, of course, necessary to prove that the bicycle was locked at the time of the theft. In addition to requiring the bicycle to be locked with a fixed built-in lock, which is a general requirement, some insurance companies also require the bicycle to be locked firmly to some other object, for instance in a bicycle rack, to a post or to some form of building structure, or that the bicycle is secured with at least one additional lock that includes a wire strop, or a stirrup-like lock.
A number of different types of bicycle locks are available commercially, of which some can be readily forced in a relatively short time while others are more stable and so constructed as to resist an attempt to force the lock for at least so many minutes as to deter a presumptive thief from stealing a bicycle that is secured with such a lock. Most lock alternatives available to cyclists at the present time are reasonably priced.
In recent years, different site-bound locking systems have been developed where the cyclist is able to firmly lock his/her bicycle, often without charge. These systems presumably have a deterring effect on the majority of thieves.
When seen against this background, it is surprising that the theft of bicycles increases steadily, despite the number of bicycle lock alternatives now available to the person wishing to keep his/her bicycle. The reason may lie in the fact that many bicycles, perhaps the majority of bicycles, are still poorly locked, and when studying the lock systems available hitherto it will be seen that this is mainly due to the known systems being encumbered with drawbacks of such a kind and of such seriousness that the lock systems are considered too complicated by the cyclist.
Wire-strop locks and stirrup locks are bulky when carried on a bicycle during a journey, normally hanging from some part of the bicycle. These locks are in the way, take up room on luggage carriers and may also constitute a safety risk if hung from the handlebars. They can be awkward in the lock mechanism and are always difficult to fit correctly when locking the bicycle, as they often need to be threaded through the rear wheel of the bicycle in one way or another. The cyclist is required to stoop, drop everything and leave both hands free before he or she is able to lock his/her bicycle. There is a serious risk of the clothes of the cyclist being dirtied and possibly torn in conjunction with this procedure, since the person concerned needs to move in the immediate vicinity of dirty and outwardly projecting parts of the bicycle.
In the best of cases there will be found a permanently fixed object, such as a post or the like, around which the wire strop lock or stirrup lock can be passed and therewith require the use of a bolt clipper at least in order to release the bicycle. In other cases, it is still possible to simply carry away a bicycle with locks and all, so that these locks can be removed later on in peace and quiet.
Chains and padlocks have all the aforesaid drawbacks besides being much more bulky to carry along.
Those site-bound bicycle racks that have locking facilities and which are now commercially available are also encumbered with obvious drawbacks which has meant that these racks have not found use in practice to any great extent. With some of these racks it is necessary to bend down to pedal level in order to padlock the bicycle. Other racks have more comfortable maneuvering heights, although they still require the cyclist to carry his/her own padlock, stirrup lock or wire strop lock. It is necessary to use both hands when securing all of these locks.
Finally, site-bound bicycle locks are also available in which the cyclist is not required to provide his/her own lock. These locking systems, however, require space, with the result that many cyclists are denied the possibility of parking their bicycles securely, and are often relatively complicated and require different installation measurements in streets and in parking facilities in order to function satisfactorily. This renders such systems less attractive to those who wish to hire out such systems, because they are expensive and difficult to make cost effective. Permanent cycle racks are also mostly inflexible and difficult to move or to combine with different locking systems.
Cycle garages that are located in or in the close proximity of an apartment building or tenement building are often difficult to reach. The cyclist is often forced to carry his/her bicycle down a flight of steps, through a number of self-closing locked doors, past parked cars, etc., before finally reaching a confined room which is filled with bicycles, often tangled together. The bicycle must also be reliably locked in such rooms in order for an insurance claim to be valid, even though the door is always locked.
In summary it can be maintained that with present day locking systems the cyclist is constantly faced with the difficulty of locking his/her bicycle in a reliable fashion wherever he/she may be found. This is the reason why so many bicycles are left standing outdoors unlocked or locked solely by the permanent built-in bicycle lock. The cyclist does not have the time or the energy to lock the bicycle reliably, or does not wish to risk becoming dirty or to be adversely affected by the locking procedure. The cyclist simply trusts in luck and hopes that he/she will be able to return to the bicycle before any one has had time to steal it. It is these unlocked or poorly locked bicycles that are stolen. There is every indication that the number of bicycles that are stolen will decrease dramatically when the cyclist is able to lock his/her bicycle quickly, simply and comfortably at a reasonable cost.